B'sgirl won't understand this but I'm going to get it out in the open right here in the beginning.

B'sgirl is asking for SPICES that go in this soup - she is not making the actual soup - so everyone that wants to jump down her throat like you did to the last person that asked about shark fin soup - DON'T!

Looks like from a google search it's a traditional scallion & ginger flavor, but lifted with a little sherry or ginger wine if you can find it. Glad you're not using Shark's fins.. those articles made me queasy!

The skate wings sound like a nice alternative. A yummy-sounding soup (sans fins). Thanks for bringing up the topic, it was enlightening on dual fronts.